How USI men's basketball guard Sam Mervis earned a starting spot despite being a walk-on
EVANSVILLE — Sam Mervis walked onto Coach K Court at Cameron Indoor Stadium for business. Never mind he was the starting point guard against one of the country’s best teams at one of college basketball’s sacred sights, he was there to try to win.
But he couldn’t help but realize where he stood, both on the court and as a player. The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball walk-on guard took in the history that surrounded him — the Final Four and national championship banners, the NBA names with their numbers retired, the banner commemorating retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s record win total — and soaked in one of the best environments the country has to offer.
“You go in there and you feel that energy. It kinda takes all the nerves out for you,” said Mervis, who serves as a Screaming Eagles captain. “At the end of the day, you’re there to play basketball. They put their shoes on just like you do.”
Before and during the game, Mervis carried a piece of him around Durham, North Carolina. Young Sam, his younger self, occupied his mind. What would he say? How would he react to seeing what he’d become?
USI vs. Duke: The Screaming Eagles led Duke at halftime but ultimately fell short in inspired effort
Older Mervis paused to reflect on what that version of himself would say. He smiled and laughed. The work, the nights where his mind wandered, the 11:11 wishes. These years, thoughts and desires later, Young Sam was where he longed to be.
This is what we’ve been dreaming about.
Mervis, who joined USI from Indiana State, talked to his former Sycamores assistant coach Jake Odum.
“If you told me you’d be starting at Duke someday,” Odum told him, “I probably would’ve told you you’re crazy.”
“It’s funny to see how that goes,” Mervis said. He and Odum worked nearly every day in Terre Haute. They’d practice once, twice, even three times a day. “It wasn’t fun but you look back on it now and that’s what you enjoy. You enjoy the work it took to get there.
“Playing now is the fun part. … That’s kinda what it takes to get there.”
And there he was. Cameron Indoor Stadium, a place where few walk-ons have lined up against the Blue Devils’ starting five. But Mervis took it on, with his family in attendance and Young Sam inside.
“He’s seeing the fruits of his labor,” said USI guard Jeremiah Hernandez, who is a co-captain. “He’s being a great teammate and coach (Stan Gouard) recognizes that. He’s gonna play and he’s making plays for us. I love playing with him.”
Gouard, Mervis and ‘wedding vows’
Gouard recalled one of the first conversations he had with Mervis when he was potentially joining the Eagles. The walk-on extraordinaire came highly recommended by former Indiana State coach Greg Lansing, who Gouard worked with as an assistant during his time as a Sycamore.
Gouard and Lansing share a hard but fair style. Lansing doesn’t often call to praise players. He did for Mervis when recommending him as a walk-on for Gouard.
“Are you OK with coming here and not playing?” Gouard asked him.
“Yes,” Mervis responded.
“Are you OK with coming here every day, getting yelled at, and not playing?” Gouard asked.
“Yes,” he responded.
“That was like wedding vows,” Gouard said Tuesday. “It was a match made in Heaven. … I knew he had thick skin. When Greg calls and recommends a guy, I knew it was a good one.”
Gouard saw his Young Sam work from there. Mervis was a leader even on the bench. Gouard wants him to shoot more for how much he gets in the gym. When Kiyron Powell was out of practice for a few days with the flu, Mervis went and rebounded for him so he didn’t fall behind. He’s done that throughout his time at USI.
“He told me it was gonna be tough and that’s something I never waivered from,” Mervis said.
His Young Sam work is spreading to others. That’s what’s gotten him in the starting five and the captaincy as a walk-on.
“(Mervis is) the ultimate team guy, great leader, a very good model for our program,” Gouard said. “Whatever Sam decides to do after basketball, he’s gonna be successful.”
Mervis on culture
Mervis credited USI’s culture for being somewhere he can achieve what he has. He also credited Lansing for not using the “walk-on” term.
“Teams could easily just push (walk-on Johnny Semany and I) to the side and not respect us, but they embrace us with open arms and give us a chance,” Mervis said. “It’s a really cool thing but personally I’m not surprised.”
This is what he’s worked for. Show up early, stay late. Mervis works to set an example for others and prove his friends, family, teammates and coaches who believe in him right. Starting against Duke and the others is the reward.
But there’s still work and more to come. After most home games, win or lose, Mervis can be found grabbing a rebounder, listening to music and getting more shots as workers clean the stands and long after fans have vacated the premises.
This is what he’s done since he first joined USI, since he was at Indiana State and since he was Young Sam.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Southern Indiana Eagles: How walk-on guard Sam Mervis became a starter
